


Kakashi's Love

by GC94



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Hatake Kakashi-centric, Original Character(s), Post-War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:07:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,667
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27056173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GC94/pseuds/GC94
Summary: The Fourth Great Ninja War is over, and the title of Hokage is looming over Kakashi's head. Tsunade is ready to retire from the position, but she can't get Kakashi to commit. Will bringing back a woman from Kakashi's past help build his confidence and restore his faith in himself? Only time will tell.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 17





	1. Aiko Returns

**Author's Note:**

> Hi,  
> This is my first fan-fic, so all constructive criticism is welcome! Please let me know what think!

The Fourth Great Ninja War had ended, and the Village Hidden in the Leaves was doing its best to return to normal. Everyone in the community was working hard to rebuild their home, and rumors had begun to spread around the village that Hatake Kakashi was going to become the Sixth Hokage. He was filled with uncertainty about taking the position after losing his Sharingan eye that had been on loan from Obito all these years. Lady Tsunade was breathing down his neck to accept his new position as the father of Konohagakure, but Kakashi was now unsure of his ability to protect the place he calls home and its inhabitants. He, after all, was not a father, and while he had been prepared to die to save his comrades hundreds of times in the past, he did not have anyone to call his own to protect. Confused and conflicted Kakashi avoided assuming his new inevitable position, much to the chagrin to Lady Tsunade. 

The Godaime sat at her desk that day in her office wondering if her letter had arrived safely and hoping against hope that the receiver would be willing to return home to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Tsunade firmly believed that without the young woman’s help she may never be able to talk Kakashi into taking over for her. As thoughts of bathhouses, gambling, and sake ran through her mind a white bird swooped into her office and out again all the while dropping a scroll on Tsunade’s desk. The scroll read “If you insist my lady. I’ll be home in two weeks’ time.” Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a smile stretched out across her face basking in the glow of the warm sun, and daydreaming about her retirement. 

Two weeks later, as the blonde was leaving her offices for an afternoon walk she looked up into the clear blue sky, and in the distance, she could see it. She saw Tori, an incredibly large orange, red, and yellow bird heading toward the village. Aiko was almost here, and while Tsunade may have told a white lie or two to get her here, she was sure it was all for the best. 

As the bird approached the village, Might Guy and Kakashi were just sitting down for some dumplings, Kakashi trying to get Guy to stop pestering him to become Hokage. Guy had been screaming about the power of youth all afternoon, and Kakashi thought that maybe having something to chew on would stop the incessant prattling, if only for a few minutes. No sooner had the silver-haired ninja had this thought did Guy spit out the dumpling he was chewing into Kakashi’s face to scream “Is that Tori?” “Kakashi, did you know about this?” Kakashi wiped the dumpling off of his face with a napkin and turned to look up. “Yes, yes, it is, and no I didn’t.” He said to Guy in a quiet thoughtful voice. Kakashi had not seen Tori nor her summoner in about a decade, and he wondered why she would come back now since not even the war was enough to get her attention. 

Kakashi turned back to Guy, well aware of what he was about to hear. “Kakashi, Kakashi, Kakashi, this is great!” Guy announced while picking up more dumplings, “She should be here in a few minutes, we should go greet her at the gates.” The Copy Ninja scratched the back of his head sheepishly, closing both of his eyes in the process, and said, “I’m not so sure I’m who she wants to see when she arrives Guy.” Guy swallowed the rest of his dumplings at once and looked at Kakashi with a wide set grin on his face. “Even if she doesn’t want to see you, I know you’d like to see her, Kakashi. Do what the power of youth tells you and follow your heart!” With that Guy rolled out of the dumpling shop in his wheelchair, on his way to greet his old friend. 

Kakashi sat in the dumpling shop a while longer only playing with his food. Playing over his last encounter with Aiko in his head. How did I allow it to go so far? Why did I let her get away from me? Kakashi was rubbing his temples, trying to make a decision when Naruto came running up from behind him. “Master Kakashi! Have you seen the bird flying toward the village? Come check it out with me.” Naruto placed his one hand on Kakashi’s shoulder trying to shake him out of his thoughts.

“Come on already, what are you doing? We need to get to the front gate to make sure everything with this bird is on the up and up for Grandma Tsunade.” Kakashi finally opened his eyes and looked up at spikey haired blonde teenager, “There’s nothing to worry about, that bird is the summoning of a comrade.” Naruto looked surprised, “You know them then, Master Kakashi?” Kakashi sighed looking up at the ceiling of the dumpling shop, “Yes, I knew her a long time ago.” Naruto invited Kakashi to come with him once more, but he declined, saying he was on his way home to read. 

Naruto ran off in the direction of the front gate, while Kakashi walked away in the opposite direction in order to think things through some more.  
When Naruto arrived at the front gate the giant bird that resembled the colors of fire was standing in the middle of the road, and a woman was jumping off its’ head. As she jumped to the ground her long raven hair blew in the breeze. She landed on both feet, and the bird leaned its’ head down to be pet. Naruto saw Master Guy, Rock Lee, and Sakura standing together, also admiring the bird, so he went running over. “Hey Master Guy, Lee, Sakura, do you know who this woman is?” Guy looked up at Naruto with a trademark Might Guy smile on his face, “I guess it makes sense that you guys wouldn’t remember her, you were all still very young when she left the village ten years ago. She is an incredibly strong kunoichi, Aiko, and that bird there is her summons, Tori.” Naruto turned to look at the bird one last time as it turned into a white puff of smoke. 

Sakura looked at Master Guy, “Why did she leave the village? Where has she been? Why is she back now?” Rock Lee continued with the pink-haired girl’s sentiment, “Are we sure we can trust someone who has left the village for so long?” Might Guy looked up at his young protégée and his friends, “Huddle in close because this information is top secret,” Guy screamed on the top of his lungs, “She chose to leave the village ten years ago to complete missions and espionage work in faraway lands for the Leaf Village.” Naruto shook his head confused, “Why couldn’t she just complete missions and come back like everyone else? Why would she choose to leave her home for ten years?” Guy smirked, “Well, she had a falling out with an ex-boyfriend and decided she couldn’t stay here any longer. That’s when she offered to go off to complete such missions for the Third Hokage, who agreed.”

Sakura blinked a few times confused, “Well who is this ex-boyfriend she wanted to escape from so badly.” The kids thought they had never seen Guy with a smile so wide and a face so red, “Well, that would be no other than your Master Kakashi.” All three of the kids’ mouths dropped wide open in shock. “Wh- wh- what! M- M- Master Kakashi with a girlfriend?” Naruto sputtered out. “How could we not know, what could have happened between them that was so terrible she left for an entire decade?” Sakura pondered out loud. “How was this secret kept from me for so long,” Lee screeched, “Master Guy how could you not inform me of this imperative piece of gossip!” The kids sputtered out more questions, but Guy waved them off telling them if they want more information, they’d have to wring it out Kakashi themselves. With this Guy rolled off towards Aiko and Lady Tsunade yelling his greetings.   
Sakura, Lee, and Naruto all went running off to find Master Kakashi. 

The Copy Ninja was sitting under his favorite tree with an Icha Icha book held in front of his face, but he wasn’t reading it. Kakashi was thinking of Aiko, he was thinking of Aiko laughing while he and Guy were racing across the village, Aiko when she would run her fingers through his hair as they’d lay next to each other in bed, Aiko when she was screaming at him with tears running down her face. He was in the middle of that last unhappy memory when he heard his name being called. Kakashi looked up from the page he wasn’t reading to see Sakura, Naruto, and Lee running towards him, waving their arms in the air, and screaming his name. By the time they reached him, they were all bent over, hand on their knees gasping for air.

“Yes?” Kakashi said coolly.

“Is-is it true Master Kakashi? What Master Bushier Brow told us about you and that woman? Is it true?” Naruto spit out between deep breaths. 

“MASTER KAKASHI! YOU MUST TELL US NOW!” Lee screamed in Kakashi’s face. 

“Well,” Kakashi said brushing one of his hands through his hair, “I guess that depends on what he told you.”

“He said that she was your ex-girlfriend!” Sakura shouted out.

With that, Kakashi made a hand sign and disappeared in a cloud of white smoke leaving the three young shinobi exhausted and irritated.

As Kakashi was slipping away from the younger shinobi, Might Guy was talking to Aiko. 

“Aiko, Aiko, long time no see how have you been?” Guy said while arching his eyebrows at her. 

“Well, I guess I’m as good as I could be.” she stated flatly, “How are you holding up Guy?”

“I Might Guy, the red dragon of the leaf is magnificent! If you’re referring to my leg, I can do more with one leg than most men can do with two because I have the Power of Youth!”  
Aiko rubbed both of her temples with one hand, she had momentarily forgotten about Guy’s intense behavior. “Oh Guy, of course, I never doubted you.” She flashed him one of her small sweet smiles that Guy was so fond of.

“So, what are you doing back here anyway?” Guy said while scratching his head, “In all honesty I never expected you to come back here to us Aiko.”

“Well, it wasn’t really up to me.” Aiko sighed and started pointing her thumb at Lady Tsunade, “I was summoned here.” 

Lady Tsunade chuckled, “Yes I did, and it’s about time that we got down to business. Excuse us Guy.” 

Before walking away to follow the Godaime, Aiko bent down to give Guy a kiss on the cheek, “I did miss you Guy, it was nice to see you.” The man in the green jumpsuit blushed, and Aiko ran after the Hokage. 

Once in the Hokage’s office, they shut the door behind them and Tsunade took a seat. “Are you happy to be home, Aiko?” Tsunade asked with her hands clasped together under her chin.   
“Tell me why I’m here Lady Tsunade. I do not intend to stay one moment more than I need to.” The younger woman said with an edge to her voice. 

“And why is that? It’s been ten years; you’ve done good work for the village. You have proven yourself time and time again Aiko. The war is over, and there are no looming threats, it’s time you came home.” Tsunade said this while carefully eyeing the young woman in her office. Aiko was almost thirty but could pass for much younger. Her years of wandering hadn’t aged her. 

The raven-haired beauty sighed while again rubbing both of her temples with one hand. “This has not been my home in a long time. I haven’t had a home in ten years Lady Tsunade, by my own choice. There is nothing for me here, so there’s no reason for me to stay. Is this why you summoned me here? To try to convince me to stay?”

Tsunade pursed her lips, “I saw you say goodbye to Guy, wouldn’t it be nice to be around some of your old friends? I called you back here because I see no reason for you to be gone any longer. The Third honored your request, but I don’t have to.” The older woman grinned menacingly at Aiko.

Aiko was beginning to get agitated, “Are you saying I have to stay? You left the village once, are you really telling me you’d try to stop me if I did the same thing.” 

“I’m not saying anything of the sort,” Lady Tsunade said trying to remain calm, “Kurenai had Asuma’s baby you know, just stay a little while. Stay a week and see how it feels. We can talk after that.” 

Aiko glared at Tsunade “What is this Tsunade? You summon me here, and there’s not even a reason for it. This is absurd, and you know it.” Aiko was almost yelling at the end. She did not particularly enjoy being within the village walls.

Tsunade took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly. “Two weeks, stay two weeks, and if you’re not happy you can leave and I won’t stop you.”

“Why is this so important to you? Why do you care if I stay or if I go?” Aiko was slightly calmer than before. 

“Will you just trust me? If you stay the two weeks I won’t try to keep you here, just see what it’s like living among friends again. No one should be left to wander this world alone. I know you haven’t had an easy life, and I understand the reason you left. I need you to trust me and give the idea a chance.”

Aiko was rubbing both temples again, “You have two weeks Lady Tsunade. Two weeks to do whatever it is you’re planning.” Aiko went to leave, but turned around one more time, “Prior to leaving here most of the men in my life met me with violence and cruelty. He was supposed to be different, but he turned into one of them. It is easier for me to not have to see him, I don’t know exactly what you have in mind by keeping me here, but please try to understand my perspective. I know you’ve seen your fair share of violence as one of the legendary sannin, and I know you’ve felt heartbreak and loss. I’m not trying to diminish those things Tsunade, but I have been mercilessly tortured by men who were supposed to love me, watch over me, and protect me. I have been left literally in the dirt by those I trusted the most. I don’t have the forgiveness in my heart that you seem to think I do.” The younger woman was looking at the Godaime with sad eyes that were almost spilling over with tears.

“Two weeks, just give it two weeks, Aiko, please.” Lady Tsunade said while sliding a key across her desk towards Aiko. “Your apartment is still there, it probably needs a good spring cleaning, but all the belongings you left behind are still there.”

“Fine,” Aiko said pointedly, grabbing the key while rolling her eyes and storming out of the room.   
Tsunade wasn’t thrilled with the way the meeting had gone, and when Aiko had looked at her with tears in her eyes it had almost broken the Hokage’s resolve. However, while her plan was very self-serving, she also felt strongly that the younger woman should not live her life in solitude the way she had been. Aiko had shut herself off from everyone she had ever known, and Tsunade wanted to help her reach back out them. At least she managed to get Aiko to agree to stay for a little while. Hopefully, two weeks would be enough time to help the raven-haired woman realize how important human contact is, and would also be enough time to push her and Kakashi together. The babies would be cute, she thought to herself while smiling. 

Aiko had an idea about what Tsunade was doing, she just didn’t understand her reasoning. There was no possible explanation for Tsunade to want Aiko and Kakashi together. Aiko rubbed both of her temples with one hand on the way to her old apartment.


	2. Advice and Old Friends

When Aiko arrived, she quickly realized that nothing had been touched in ten years, and this was evident from the inches of dust that had accumulated on every single item in the place. Aiko spent hours cleaning the apartment from top to bottom, and washing her very old bedsheets and blankets, so she’d have somewhere comfortable to sleep that night. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Aiko realized that she was happy to be back in the old apartment. It did in fact feel like home. By the time she was done, it was late and she was ravenous. The kunoichi hadn’t eaten since lunchtime the day before, but there was nothing edible in the apartment. She would have to venture out but needed to shower and to change first. A shower, a real shower felt good. Not a lake or river somewhere, but a real honest to goodness shower felt amazing. Afterward, she went rummaging through her old closet to find something to wear. She felt a pinch of sadness rifling through her old belongings, but found a floor-length black skirt with a little slit up the side, and a dark blue silk camisole she had once loved so much. She looked at herself in the still dusty mirror, and Aiko liked the way she looked. She didn’t look like a shinobi, she looked like a woman again. With this thought in her head, she decided to go to find Kurenai and hopefully some food. Her goal was to avoid aimlessly wandering around the village, afraid of running into a certain someone.

She found Kurenai’s place easily enough and was glad that her old friend was happy to see her. She met the baby, and Kurenai and the two women talked over dinner. They filled each other in on their lives, their adventures, their loves, and their losses until it was the wee hours of the morning. Aiko felt good, relieved even. As if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, Aiko hadn’t had anyone to share with in so long she didn’t realize how lonely and closed off she had become. Kurenai offered her the couch for the night, but Aiko was excited to sleep in her own bed and figured it was late enough that no one would be out on the streets for her to run into. 

Kakashi had been laying in the woods for a while now. He had avoided answering any prying questions by simply staying away from everyone, but it was late enough now to walk home in peace. Kakashi was about halfway home when he spotted her. She was unmistakable with that skirt on that had a slit all the way up the side, and tiny blue camisole he loved her in so much. Kakashi stopped dead in his tracks, not wanting to be seen. He tempered his chakra, so she wouldn’t sense him and just enjoyed looking at her again. He enjoyed looking at her long hair, the sway of her hips, and the bounce of her bosom as she walked. He could not believe he had allowed himself to push her away. The famed shinobi was slapped in the face with immediate regret, and even though he knew it was a bad idea, an idea unbecoming of the sixth Hokage, he followed her home.

Kakashi watched her walk all the way home and hid across the street on a rooftop so he could peer through her window. It wasn’t until he was watching her do ordinary things that he realized how much he had truly missed her. After about an hour of watching her longingly, Kakashi decided that it was time to go home himself.

Aiko sighed with relief when out of the corner of her eye she saw Kakashi jumping out of his hiding spot across the street and running in the opposite direction of her home. She could finally get undressed and ready for bed in peace. She was aware that he’d followed her home and had been watching her from afar. She now knew that avoiding him for the two weeks was going to prove quite difficult. 

They both laid in their own beds that night thinking of nothing but each other. 

When morning came Aiko was awakened not by songbirds, but by a screaming Might Guy. Aiko’s apartment was unfortunately very close to Guy’s, and as a result, she would be stuck with him for the duration of her stay. Aiko sleepily walked over to the door to let Guy in “What is it, Guy? I was sleeping.” Aiko managed to get out in between yawns. 

“I was wondering if you’d like to run laps with me this morning around the village, say 500 to start?” Guy gave her a wide smile.

“Guy you have one leg, you can’t run 500 laps around the village. You shouldn’t be doing that with two legs.” Aiko grumbled at him, regretting not getting any groceries for breakfast the day before. 

“You can push me in my wheelchair, and I can motivate you!” Guy said as he gave her a thumbs up and a wink.

At this Aiko laughed, “How about I get changed and I’ll run you 10 laps around, but then you have to come grocery shopping with me?”

Guy took the compromise, but not without some very loud complaints, and a full ten-minute speech about the power of youth. 

After their run Aiko rolled Guy over to the markets, so she could do her shopping. She picked something up, he put it back when she wasn’t paying attention. He picked something up and waved it in her face and she threw it at him. Just like old times. 

It took Aiko twice as long to do her shopping with Guy in tow, but honestly, it was more fun this way. They were about to head back home when Kakashi came walking towards them.  
Aiko avoided eye contact and tried to maneuver Guy in a way that he wouldn’t see Kakashi, but she failed. 

“My rival! Are you ready for another challenge?” Guy was yelling to Kakashi waving one of his hands in the air. 

Kakashi ignored Guy’s question, “Hi.” He said, with one hand scratching the back of his head.

“Hello Kakashi,” Aiko retorted, clearly irritated. 

“I know you’re angry, but I mean no harm. Can we talk later? When you two are done with whatever it is, you’re doing.” He eyed them skeptically, both wearing work out gear, but caring bags of groceries. 

“I got Aiko here to take me on a run this morning. She’s not up to my regular 500, but we’ll get her there.” Guy said enthusiastically.

“Then we came shopping.” Aiko said flatly, “And if you’ll excuse us, I really need to be getting home.” 

“You didn’t answer my question. Can we talk later?” Kakashi asked becoming slightly disgruntled. She was the only woman in the world who could throw him off like this.

“You answered your own question when you followed me home last night.” Aiko glared at Kakashi as she pushed by him using Guy’s wheelchair.  
Guy was flustered by this, and for the first time in his life speechless. 

Kakashi’s eyes fell to the ground, he knew following her last night was a horrible idea, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off of her. 

When Aiko got Guy to his front door, Guy looked up at her for the first time since they’d run into Kakashi.  
“Listen, Aiko, it may not be my place to say, but Kakashi has always loved you and I think you know that. He’s changed a lot in the years you’ve been gone, he’s not the cold-hearted Kakashi we knew all that time ago.” Guy said this in an uncharacteristically calm manner. 

This time when Guy brought his eyes back to Aiko’s face there were tears running down it. “You weren’t there Guy, you don’t know what he said to me, how he spoke to me. I have had my share of experiences with unnecessarily cruel men, but Kakashi was never supposed to be one of them. There was no need for him to turn on me the way he did. If he couldn’t handle being with me then that was his right, but he came at me with a vengeance, and for the life of me I haven’t been able to figure out why.”  
Guy reached up to wipe the tears from Aiko’s face, she had had it so hard since birth and Guy always had a soft spot for her. “I can’t tell you what to do, but if you want answers the only place to get them is from the man himself. Just think about it, for your own sake.” Guy smiled at her and went inside.

Aiko was still upset when she got to her door and was running through what Guy had said to her over and over again in her head. Who knew that underneath that overbearing façade Guy puts on were actual nuggets of wisdom? Aiko smiled at herself and opened her door, “Well if you want to talk so badly let’s talk.” Kakashi appeared almost out of nowhere and followed Aiko into her apartment.  
Aiko hopped up onto her countertop, looking at Kakashi with bloodshot eyes. He’d gotten taller, his gray hair still stood straight up, and he still covered most of his face with that damned mask. All of her emotions could be easily read from her face, but she couldn’t read him at all.  
Aiko let out a long sigh, “What is it Kakashi?” she said weakly. 

Kakashi looked at the woman sitting in front of him, she was as beautiful as ever, but she had been crying. Some of her hair was getting stuck to her face and her cheeks were red and blotchy. He had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Guy, and Kakashi made a mental note that he owed Guy a thank you. She would have never agreed to talk to him otherwise.  
“I know it’s not enough, but I’m sorry. I’m sorry I attacked you the way I did. There’s no excuse that I can give you that’ll make what I did better or make sense.” He took a few steps closer to her, trying to close the gap between them. 

“We were laying in bed together and you were running your hand through my hair the way you liked to do. You kissed me, and laid your head on my chest and told me you loved me. You told me that no matter how I felt about myself I was a good man and that you hadn’t known many good men. You kissed me, and told me that you felt safe in my arms.” Kakashi said shifting back and forth on his feet, trying to close the gap between them more.

“Well,” Aiko said, “You say stupid things when you’re young and in love Kakashi.” Tears were running down her face, she had given up trying to control them. 

“I turned on you that night, and I did it to selfishly protect myself.” Kakashi covered his eyes with one hand, wiping away tears that had formed. “I didn’t want the responsibly of protecting you when I hadn’t been able to protect anyone close to me up to that point. I knew I had to make you hate me, and so I did.” While he was talking, Kakashi had closed the gap between them, and was pushing the hair that was stuck to her face behind her ears.”

“You didn’t just make me hate you Kakashi, you made me hate myself. You told me that I was a problem you didn’t need and that you understood why my father had beaten me as a child. You broke me Kakashi, you were the only person I trusted, the only person I loved and you attacked every weakness I had to tare me down.” Aiko was sobbing by the time she was done speaking.  
Kakashi had remembered that night, they had agreed to meet at her favorite lake and take a late-night walk. 

Ten Years Ago

Kakashi was watching the girl he loved from the trees trying to muster up the courage he needed to complete his plan. When she saw him, Aiko ran to him and jumped into his arms. Kakashi pushed her away hard. Aiko hadn’t been expecting it, so she almost fell over backward. Kakashi looked her in the eyes, took a deep breath, and said the most horrible things he could think of.  
“Aiko, this isn’t going to work anymore,” Kakashi said coldly. “I don’t love you the way you love me. I don’t love you at all, I was curious about what it would feel like to be with a woman and you answered that question for me.” Kakashi had to hold himself back from crying. “You are just another problem that I don’t need in my life. Dealing with you every day has been hell, and I can almost understand what your father must have felt like having someone as pathetic and needy as you for a daughter.” Kakashi was breaking on the inside, but he couldn’t let his face show it. “Not even your own sensei cared about your wellbeing or thought you showed any promise. How could you think that I could care about someone so weak that their own sensei gave up on them? You’ve always been disposable to me, and now I’m just disposing of you.”

At this point, Aiko slapped him. “Why are you saying these things Kakashi, what’s wrong with you?” Aiko had grabbed Kakashi’s shirt with both hands and was shaking him ferociously. “You don’t mean that, I know you don’t mean that. Why are you saying these things to me Kakashi!” Kakashi put one hand on Aiko’s head and pushed her out of his way.  
“Just leave me be now,” Kakashi said with his back to Aiko. Since she couldn’t see his face, he allowed a single tear to fall. As Kakashi went to leave, Aiko grabbed the back of his shirt to try to stop him from leaving. In an attempt to try to understand what had happened between that morning and now.  
“Kakashi please.” She said with a broken voice.

Kakashi’s head was down, and he lifted one hand to pull down his mask a little, and Aiko felt a twinge of hope at seeing his mask come down. In an instant, that twinge of hope turned into fear.  
Blue lighting was coming from Kakashi’s hand. “Let go of me Aiko,” Kakashi said cruelly, as he turned and swiped his arm at his lover.  
Aiko dropped her hand from the back of Kakashi’s shirt, ducked, and jumped backward quickly, too quickly. She fell backward, hitting her head hard on the ground. Kakashi got down on his knees, and leaned down so his mouth was next to Aiko's ear. "Stay away from me," he breathed harshly into her ear, "Or next time I won't miss."  
Aiko's head was throbbing, she wasn't sure, but she thought she hit her head on a rock. Tears were running down both cheeks, but they weren't from the pain in the back of her head. They were from the words her one-time lover was whispering in her ear. All she could think was that she wasn't sure what she'd done to deserve his wrath. All she could do was cry and scream his name, in the hope he'd change his mind.  
Kakashi left her there sobbing and screaming at him.

Present Day

“It doesn’t mean anything now, but my words had no meaning then. I was the pathetic one, Aiko. I was afraid of my feelings for you, I knew that I couldn’t handle it if I were to lose you like I’d lost everyone else.” Kakashi was leaning his forehead against Aiko’s now, and he was shocked that she hadn’t pushed him away yet. “I knew I could make you hate me, and I knew if you hated me, I could push you to the back of my mind. I lost you in a way, but at the same time you weren’t dead, so it was preferable.”  
Aiko was leaning into Kakashi, she hadn’t let herself feel these emotions in years, but she had missed him terribly. She had missed his strong arms around her, she had missed the way he smelled of the trees around the village, and she had missed the way he felt pressed up against her. Still, though, she wasn’t sure if she could trust him again.  
“How do you expect me to trust you again Kakashi?” Aiko said in a whisper. “What if this is just you wanting to sleep with me again.” Aiko could barely get the words out. “That’s all I was good for last time anyway.” 

With those words, Kakashi’s heart broke in his chest. “I should have never said that to you, Aiko.” He was placing small kisses all around her face through his mask. “You meant so much to me, being with you meant the world to me. I was a weak boy who had been broken by life. I can be there for you now, and I won’t let you down again.” Kakashi picked up her right hand and pressed it to his lips. Aiko was still sobbing. 

Kakashi wiped the tears from her face and kissed her forehead gently. I’m sorry for Aiko, I was hoping for forgiveness I don’t deserve. I’ll go now, and I won’t bother you again.” With this, Kakashi turned to leave.

Without thinking Aiko reached and grabbed Kakashi’s sleeve pulling him back to her. “Don’t leave Kakashi” She pulled him close and rested her head against his chest. “Don’t hurt me again, I won’t be able to take it.”

Kakashi pulled back just a bit and used his right hand to lift her chin up, so her eyes would meet his. “For as long as I live, I will never hurt you again.” Kakashi pulled down his mask with his other hand and placed a chaste kiss on Aiko’s lips. He picked her up cradling her in his arms and carried her to the bed. There he wrapped his arms around her until she could stop crying.  
When Aiko gained back control of herself Kakashi got her a glass of water and played with her hair. They laid like that, talking about their lives for a long time. They told each other everything that had happened since they’d last seen each other until Aiko’s stomach rumbled and they went in search of food.


	3. BBQ and Long Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto finds out more about Kakashi Sensei's mysterious past with Aiko from an unlikely source.

They were both mentally exhausted, so cooking was out of the question. Kakashi took Aiko to the BBQ shop nearby. They were both too tired to talk anymore. So, they sat on the same side of a booth with Kakashi’s arm around Aiko’s shoulders, and she was resting her head on his shoulder waiting on their food. 

Naruto was walking home from Ichiraku Ramen Shop when he spotted them. Kakashi and Aiko sitting in a booth together wrapped around one another. Naruto didn’t know what to do with himself. He didn’t know if he should run up to them or go in search of Sakura so she could see too.   
Naruto decided that he wanted to approach them, maybe make Master Kakashi blush a little in front of his new girlfriend. As Naruto was walking into the BBQ shop a strong arm pulled him down into a booth and held him there. 

“Hey what’s the big idea!” Naruto growled at his surprise attacker.  
Lady Tsunade chuckled a little bit, still pinning Naruto down by his arm. “You wouldn’t be planning on going over there and interrupting their date now would you Naruto?”   
Naruto’s face quickly reddened, “Um……no, no of course not Grandma Tsunade.” Naruto said shaking his head back and forth.   
“Good.” Tsunade said seriously. “Don’t you bother them Naruto, I mean it. Leave the two of them alone, and let them get to know each other again. Got it?”  
“Well….yeah, I got it. But Grandma Tsunade, can I ask why?” Naruto said with complete sincerity. “What happened between the two of them, and why is she back now?”  
“Well Naruto,” Lady Tsunade said almost somberly. “You’re no stranger to loss. A shinobi’s life is filled with it.” Naruto nodded at her to signify his understanding.   
Lady Tsunade sighed and continued, “Aiko’s father was a shinobi and her mother was a civilian. He was a cruel and abusive man, and he beat her mother so badly that she killed herself with three-year-old Aiko in the room.” Tsunade took a long sip of sake. “He took the little girl and kept her in a closet only feeding her enough food and water to keep her alive. If she even made a sound, he would beat her until she blacked out. Once when he was out on a mission and forgot to lock the closet door she was able to make it out into the street. When she was found she was immediately brought to the hospital, Aiko was malnourished and badly beaten. I cared for her myself, and when she was able to speak again Aiko told me who had done this to her. When her father returned from his mission the Third Hokage sent him to prison, and when Aiko was old enough, she was put into the academy.”  
Naruto slammed his fist onto the table. “How could someone do that to a woman and a child!” Tsunade quickly covered his mouth with her hand and grabbed his fist. “Quiet, you knucklehead. They’ll hear you.” 

Lady Tsunade let go of Naruto and let out a sigh. “When she graduated from the academy, her sensei was a man named Daichi. Daichi had a secret hatred of kunoichi and women in general, and this was his first genin team that he was in charge of. The other two members of the team were both males, so Daichi had decided early on to try and do away with Aiko. When they would train, he wouldn’t allow her any food or water, if she made a mistake she was physically punished to an extreme. Aiko had lived through this before, so it was harder for Daichi to break her then he had originally thought.”  
“But why did no one stop him, why was it allowed,” Naruto said from between gritted teeth.  
Tsunade was shaking her head back and forth. “We didn’t know Naruto. We were in the midst of the Third Great Ninja War; our forces had all but been depleted. No one was paying attention to the genin’s training. When Daichi’s team was finally sent out on an A-rank mission it was to gather intel. Aiko has grown strong now, but back then her main talent was a camouflage jutsu that not even sensory types could detect. The plan was for Daichi and her two male peers to set up a perimeter around the enemy base, and Aiko would go in to retrieve the scrolls. Apparently when Aiko was on her way out of the building Daichi “accidentally” let his location be known.” Tsunade was becoming angry and a piece of the table broke off in her hand. Tsunade took a deep breath and exhaled before continuing.   
“Aiko was running to get out of the building, but the mission had taken longer than she originally planned and her jutsu was beginning to fail her. One of the guards noticed her flicker into sight as she made her way out of the building, and they descended upon her. Daichi was able to get to her to grab the scrolls but left her behind promising to come back with reinforcements. When Daichi returned to the Hidden Leaf he lied to the Third Hokage, telling him that he had seen Aiko die in battle but could not recover the body. Daichi convinced the two male genins on his team to corroborate the lie.” Tsunade sounded depressed as she spoke, and continued to take large sips of sake.   
Naruto was perplexed, “Why would he lie? How did she escape?” 

“Well Naruto,” Lady Tsunade said while holding her head up with one hand. “I don’t know why he hated women so much, but the Hidden Leaf managed to rescue her after she sent a message with a summons. Aiko had been unmercifully tortured while she was there. Burned, deprived of food, water, air, and she was psychologically tortured as well. The enemy knew she was only a genin, so they didn’t expect her to have a summons.”  
“That giant bird?” Naruto questioned.   
“Well yes, and other smaller birds as well,” Tsunade said. “Since they didn’t think that she was capable of much besides becoming invisible they stopped chaining her up. She was so weak anyway they didn’t think they’d have a problem handling her, but she was able to summon one of her smaller birds and gave it a message for the Third Hokage. She asked why no one had come for her, and she asked for Daichi not to be sent. I went myself with Jiraiya, we had been fighting close by, and since I already had a relationship with her it made sense. By the time we got there, she was almost dead. I killed Daichi myself.” Tsunade was shaking with anger.  
“Naruto, it took years but Aiko allowed another man into her life. Man is a strong word for what he was back then, her and Kakashi were only slightly older than you are now, but they were in love.” At this   
Tsunade smiled and sighed. “But Kakashi had lost a lot in life too and could be a cold person at times. When he was faced with having to care for Aiko the way she cared for him he broke. He couldn’t handle it, and he pushed her away, but he did it rather cruelly. That’s when Aiko requested to leave the village to travel, train, and complete espionage work on behalf of the village from afar. I requested that Aiko return home, because Kakashi is struggling with taking on the role of Hokage, and I thought that if he could rebuild his relationship with Aiko it would make him feel more confident.” Lady 

The Hokage turned to look at Naruto, “Well, did I answer all of your questions?”   
Naruto looked Tsunade in the eyes, “Yes, but do you think Master Kakashi can handle it this time? I’ve never known him to be a cold man, and I don’t want him getting hurt. I also don’t want him to hurt her with everything you’ve told me about her life, what if she can’t handle being hurt again. If I were her, I don’t think I could handle it.”   
Tsunade tilted her head up to stare at the ceiling. “I have hope Naruto, I think they both need love in their lives, and I believe that those two belong together.”   
Naruto nodded in understanding. “I hope your right Grandma Tsunade.”   
As Naruto said this, Aiko and Kakashi walked past them, Kakashi’s arm a permanent fixture on Aiko’s shoulder. Aiko turned and gave Lady Tsunade a small smile, Tsunade smiled back her happily. The babies will be cute. She thought to herself again happily.

Tsunade let Naruto eat with her, and when they were done Naruto ran off to tell Sakura all of the new information, he had about Master Kakashi’s new girlfriend.  
It was a little late when Naruto arrived at Sakura’s, but she was so happy to get the latest gossip on her old sensei that she didn’t mind. When Naruto was done retelling the story that Lady Tsunade had told him earlier that night Sakura just sat there silently.   
“That’s horrible, her life has been horrible.” Sakura said deflated.  
Naruto nodded his head in understanding, “I know, so it makes you think about what Master Kakashi did to make her leave for such a long time.”  
“Well whatever it was we need to make sure that he doesn’t do it again,” Sakura looked at Naruto with determined eyes, “Master Kakashi has had a difficult life too, but we need to make sure that he doesn’t freak out again and drive her away.”  
“Okay, but how do we go about doing that?” Naruto asked tilting his head to one side.

“I’m not sure, we need to keep a close eye on him though, and make sure we support him when we can,” Sakura said, still sounding a bit depressed from the story she just heard.   
Naruto and Sakura sat a while longer on her couch discussing different ideas on how to support their old sensei’s new relationship.


	4. Liquor and Emotional Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiko uses liquor to discuss her her troubled relationship with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi,  
> If you're reading this I really hope that you enjoy it. This is my first fanfic, and I've been struggling a little lately for a variety of reasons. Please share any thoughts you have on this chapter or the fic as a whole so far with me, I'd really appreciate it.

Kakashi and Aiko walked back to her apartment staying close to one another the entire time. When they got to the door Aiko fell into Kakashi’s warm embrace and stayed there for a long time. When she finally came up for air she said, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come in.” 

“Oh,” Kakashi said, trying not to sound too disappointed, but it was apparent in his voice.  
“I’ve missed you Kakashi, and I think I can forgive you. I need more time to be able to trust you though. I think I should spend tonight alone.” Aiko said without making eye contact.   
Kakashi placed his right hand below Aiko’s chin, tilting it upwards and placing his forehead on hers. “I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I’ll give you what you need.” He pecked her on the lips and left.” 

The silver-haired jonin walked home with his hands in his pockets, hoping he didn’t already mess this up. Did I really think she was going to allow me to spend the night? Kakashi audibly sighed, I suppose it will just take some time. 

Aiko closed the door behind her and let her body relax. She had missed Kakashi and felt comfortable tucked under his arm all night. She was happy to share a knowing smile with Lady Tsunade, aware that this was exactly what she had wanted. While Kakashi provided comfort, he also caused her concern. She wanted to forgive him so badly, but her heart still hurt at the sight of him. Can I trust him? Is it dangerous for me to put my faith into this man? Will I survive another heartbreak? Aiko felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks again and went to cry herself to sleep. 

Once again, it was Guy who woke Aiko up before the birds even had a chance to. Her pillow was still wet from her tears the night before, and her face was red and blotchy. Aiko yelled to Guy that she needed ten minutes, and jumped in the shower. Aiko paid horribly for those extra ten minutes, Guy decided that since he had to wait running wouldn’t be enough for the day. While Aiko was not exactly thrilled to be running through an obstacle course over and over again at the crack of dawn it at least got Kakashi off her mind. Physical pain was definitely preferable to emotional pain.

“Guy, please a break, I need a break.” Aiko managed to get out in between labored breaths.  
The man with the bowl haircut laughed loudly, “Oh come on Aiko, where’s your spirit? Where’s your Power of Youth? You can’t look that young and act that old at the same time.”

Aiko glared at Guy with that last line but didn’t have the energy to go after him. “Guy, I’m starving can we eat now?”   
“Now that you mention it, I could go for a little something myself,” Guy said patting his stomach.  
“Well come on then, let's go back to my place and I’ll make us some breakfast.” Aiko flashed Guy a smile and he went rolling after her.  
When they finished eating, Guy was talking about some student of his who he seemed to love dearly. Aiko was happy that Guy had people he cared about in his life.   
“So, Aiko,” Guy arched his eyebrows at her, “How’s Kakashi?” Guy’s eyebrows were dancing now.

The raven-haired beauty sighed heavily and began rubbing her temples with one hand again. “Oh, I don’t know we kind of made up last night, but it’ll a while before….” Aiko trailed off wishing she hadn’t said anything.  
“Before what?” Guy said sincerely.   
“Before I can trust him again Guy,” Aiko said defeatedly. 

The turtle summoner looked at Aiko with concern evident in his eyes. He had pushed them together again, but Aiko clearly wasn’t sure of what she wanted. Maybe he had made a mistake. “I’m sorry if I pushed you two together Aiko, I just want what’s best for the both of you. You’ve had a difficult life, and Kakashi’s hasn’t been any easier. I thought that you two could give each other the love you both need and deserve.”

She looked at the green jumpsuit clad man sitting across from her. He had always been so intense, constantly screaming his head off about one thing or another, but during difficult times in her life Guy had always managed to tone it down and be sincere for her. “Thank you, Guy, I think I just need some time to think, maybe without everyone in the village staring at us whenever we’re together.” Aiko chuckled a little bit. 

Guy laughed out loud, “Well I can’t help you there Aiko, you two are the talk of the village. People are naturally curious. Just take your time, if you two fall in love I’ll be happy for you, and if you don’t, I’ll be here anyway.” Guy smiled and gave Aiko a thumbs up. “I’m going to head out now, I have to meet Lee for some training. Breakfast was delicious!” With that Guy rolled out her apartment door.   
Aiko began busying herself with cleaning up the breakfast mess when she sensed Kurenai at her door and heard a light knock a moment later. Aiko threw her head back and let out an exasperated sigh knowing full well what Kurenai was there to talk about. 

The younger woman let Kurenai in, “So, did you just happen to be in the neighborhood?” Aiko said sarcastically.  
The gen-jutsu master gave Aiko a knowing smile, “It’s not my fault that you two went out to dinner and wrapped yourselves around each other in front of everyone. Tell me everything.”  
Aiko attempted to change the subject, but Kurenai wasn’t having it. “We talked,” Aiko said exasperated. “I care for him Kurenai, I’ve always cared for him. I wasn’t the one who ended it in the first place, but the last time he turned on me so suddenly and he was so cruel,” Aiko said choking back tears. “I was weak last night, I was happy to be in his arms, but now…I don’t know.” Aiko was on the verge of crying again, but pushed the tears back, not wanting to break down in front of her friend. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to just jump right back into with him, and hope he doesn’t change his mind again.” Aiko looked at Kurenai defeated.

The red-eyed woman crossed the room to hug one of her oldest friends. “You know, you never told me what actually happened between you two at the end. Why don’t we start there, and talk our way through this? I think it’ll make you feel better.”   
Aiko sighed, “Alright, I guess it can’t hurt.” With that, Aiko pulled a bottle of sake from her cupboard with two careens and sat down at her kitchen table.  
Kurenai looked at Aiko confused, “It’s not even 12 yet Aiko, what are you doing?”  
Aiko looked up at Kurenai, “If I have to relive this again, I’m going to need a drink or two. You don’t have to partake if you don’t want to. More for me.”  
Aiko told Kurenai about her last few days with Kakashi ten years ago, she told Kurenai about the last night she spent in Kakashi’s bed, and she told Kurenai everything Kakashi had said to her and done to her that night by the lake. By the end of the story, Aiko was just about drunk, and Kurenai finally had a better understanding of her friend’s pain. 

“Okay,” Kurenai said sympathetically, “let's go for a walk.   
Aiko stood up but stumbled at first with Kurenai grabbing her arm to lend support and giggling a little.  
“Maybe it was a bit early to start drinking,” Aiko said slurring her words.  
Kurenai laughed even louder now, “You think? Come on now you need to walk this off.” 

As they reached the street outside of Aiko’s apartment, Aiko fell to her knees, lurched over, and vomited. Kurenai got down on the ground to help hold her friend's hair back. After a few minutes, Aiko stopped vomiting and was trying to regain her composure when she realized there was a man standing in front of her. She knew who it was, but couldn’t bring herself to look up at him.   
Kurenai looked at Kakashi, “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her.” As she said this, Kurenai attempted to lift Aiko up, but as the bird summoner got to her feet the second wave of vomiting began.

When she stopped Kakashi bent down picking Aiko up in his arms, “What happened Kurenai? Why does she reek of liquor?” He said angrily.  
“That’s really none of your concern Kakashi.” Kurenai snapped back at him.  
“Kurenai, she can’t even stand up, she’s vomiting in the street, and you’re angry with me?” Kakashi sneered at her.   
Kurenai relaxed a little, “Kakashi she’s upset and confused, we were talking and she started drinking. I didn’t realize how much she’d had until it was too late.”  
the Copy Nin shook his head back and forth, “I’m not going to hurt her Kurenai, and when she wakes up if she wants me to go, I’ll go without question. Just let me be the one who takes care of her, you have a baby to get back to anyway.” 

Kakashi seemed sincere, and Kurenai knew he wouldn’t harm Aiko but she wasn’t sure how well Aiko would handle waking up with the Copy Nin in her apartment. “Kakashi,” Kurenai said looking him in the eyes, “be understanding when she wakes up.”  
Kakashi nodded and walked back to Aiko’s apartment with her in his arms.   
He laid her down in the bed, covered her in a blanket, left a glass of water for her, and went to sit on her couch with an Icha Icha book.   
Kakashi tried to read, but couldn’t force himself to focus. How much did she tell Kurenai? She seemed fine last night, a little nervous towards the end of the evening, but not upset enough to drink half a bottle of sake by herself. Kakashi knew he was a fool for thinking one talk and some tenderness could fix the mistake he made, but he had wanted her back so badly he allowed himself to believe that it had been enough. 

He sat quietly on Aiko’s couch thinking about what to do next when he heard her stirring in the next room.  
Aiko sat up slowly in her bed wishing she had listened to Kurenai about the sake. She noticed that the sky outside of her bedroom window was dark. The hungover woman couldn’t remember exactly what had happened, she knew she had gone outside with Kurenai and she remembered being sick, but couldn’t recall how she got into her bed. No more sake for a long time. Aiko thought to herself. She brought her knees up, so she could rest her head on them and wrapped her arms around her thighs in an attempt to get the room to stop spinning.  
“I left you water on your nightstand.” Kakashi’s voice surprised Aiko. “How are you feeling?” Kakashi was careful not to actually walk into the room.  
Aiko stared at him in disbelief. When did he get here? Did he know what had happened? “I’m fine I guess.” She said in almost a whisper, not making eye contact with the silver-haired man standing in her doorway.

Kakashi looked at Aiko with sympathy, “You know, getting drunk in the middle of the day may not have been the best idea.” Kakashi brought one hand to rub the back of his head.   
Aiko gave Kakashi a small smile, “I know, it was a mistake, but Kurenai wanted to talk and I couldn’t manage it without a drink. I guess I overdid it.” Aiko hugged her knees closer to her chest.  
“Can I come in?” Kakashi asked.   
Aiko nodded at him.  
He walked into the room and took a seat at the edge of Aiko’s bed. Trying to keep a physical distance, even though he was aching to wrap his arms around her.  
“What were you talking to Kurenai about that you needed to drink so much just to get through it,” Kakashi asked.  
She put her forehead on her knees so her face was hidden. “You,” she said, so low Kakashi had to strain to hear her. 

Kakashi looked at the woman curled up in a ball in front of him and his heart broke all over again. “Aiko, if I’m doing this to you, if being around me is too difficult and is going to drive you to drink,” Kakashi was getting louder as he spoke and was waving his arms in the air, “then this was a mistake, and we should stay away from each other.”   
Aiko felt her body shudder before she realized she was crying again. She finally brought her bloodshot eyes to meet his. Aiko crawled across the bed to sit on Kakashi’s lap, and rested her head on his shoulder. He held her with one arm around her back and the other resting on her legs.  
“I’m sorry,” Aiko whispered into Kakashi’s ear.

Kakashi’s eyebrows arched. “You’re sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?” He planted a small kiss on her forehead and began rubbing small circles on her back with his thumb.  
“For pretending to be okay last night, for getting drunk in the middle of the day, and for vomiting in the street,” Aiko said while trying to push her body closer to his.  
“You don’t need to be sorry for anything Aiko, but I do need you to tell me what happens next. Do you want me to stay away, or can we work through this?” Kakashi didn’t want to let go of her but knew she might tell him to.  
“I don’t want you to stay away,” she said into his shoulder, “but this needs to be slow Kakashi. Last night when I told you not to come in, I could hear the disappointment in your voice, and I felt horrible for doing that to you.   
Kakashi shook his head back and forth, “You didn’t do anything to me, and I’m not expecting anything physical from you. It just feels so good to hold you again. Most of the physical touch I’ve had since you left has been violent, and I know that was true for you before me. It feels good to have someone to hold.”   
Aiko looked up at Kakashi, admiring his handsome face. “If you hurt me again Kakashi,” Aiko smirked up at him, “I’m going to have to sick Guy on you.”  
Kakashi smirked back at her. “Hmmm, I guess I’m just going to have to come through for you then, huh?” With that, he kissed her forehead, and they stayed like that for a long time. Neither one of them wanting to move first. 

Eventually, Kakashi stood up and laid Aiko down on the bed, kissed her once more on the forehead, and went to leave. Aiko sat up slowly, “Where are you going?” She asked sleepily.  
“You were asleep, I thought I should go,” Kakashi said to her in a kind whisper.   
“Stay? I know I’ve been all over the place the last few days, but I still don’t feel well from the sake, and I want you to. I promise.” Aiko looked at him, pleading with her eyes.  
Kakashi sighed, “If I stay, you’re not going to get drunk tomorrow trying to deal with it?” He asked her with a smirk on his face.   
Aiko blushed at the mention of her earlier predicament. “No, I promise, but no funny business Mr. Hatake.” She said with a smirk of her own.   
Kakashi climbed into bed next to her, covered himself with the blanket, and pulled her close to him, and that’s how they stayed until the next morning.


	5. Nosey Students

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and Sakura are a little to invested in Kakashi's love life.

Guy rolled over to Aiko’s apartment the next morning, but before he could knock on the door a shirtless Copy Nin opened it, and stepped outside.   
“She had a rough day yesterday Guy, so no training today. Come back tomorrow, I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.” Kakashi said very matter of fact. 

Guy’s eyebrows bounced up and down, and his face was bright red with a blush he couldn’t control. “Rough huh? I guess it’s okay, it seems she got plenty of exercise last night anyway.”  
The silver-haired man shook his head, “No, no Guy it’s not like that, and don’t go rolling around the village telling other people that either. Being around me in general has been hard for her, and I spent the night to keep her company.” Kakashi said exasperated.

The green jumpsuit clad man looked at Kakashi with a smirk on his face. “Whatever you say O’ rival of mine, don’t worry I’m no gossip, and even if I was, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt that girl of yours in there.” Guy rolled away waving one hand at his enternal rival as he went.

Kakashi went back inside to wait for Aiko to awake not sure if Guy believed him or not, and not wanting Guy to upset Aiko later on by bringing it up. Kakashi plopped himself down on the couch and pulled out an Icha Icha book to pass the time until Aiko woke up. Man, this girl can sleep. Kakashi thought to himself as he opened the book.

Guy had planned on meeting Lee at the training grounds later, but figured he could go now and get some extra training in before his student arrived. On his way, he was ran into Sakura and Naruto who seemed very concerned about something. 

“Master Bushier Brow,” Naruto exclaimed, “we need your help!”   
“With what?” Guy asked, his interest piqued.   
“Lady Tsunade told me about Aiko and Master Kakashi last night, and well…we want to make sure he doesn’t mess it up again.” Naruto said sounding concerned.  
“We don’t want him to end up an old pervert all alone with those stupid books of his.” Sakura said while rolling her eyes.  
Guy laughed, “I’m not sure that there is much you two can even do. You just have to leave it to them, and hope they can work it out.” 

“Well,” the blonde said looking mischievous, “we were thinking of maybe stealing those pervy books of his, so he doesn’t end up reading them in front her. We know it’s probably not their main problem, but we think she’d be a little upset if she found out about Master Kakashi’s obsession with them.  
“It wouldn’t exactly make a woman feel good, finding her boyfriend wandering around the village in front of everyone reading that junk.” The pink-haired girl said, disgust evident in her voice.  
Guy scratched his head, “You know, you two aren’t wrong. Their relationship is fragile right now, and Kakashi has never seemed to care that those books really aren’t for consumption in public places. You’re going to have to sneak into his apartment and steal them,” Guy said, “for Kakashi’s own good. In fact, I know that he’s not home right now, so it would be the perfect time.”   
Naruto and Sakura looked at each other with sly smiles, thanked Master Guy, and ran off in the direction of their former teacher's apartment. When they arrived, Naruto and Sakura observed for a little while from outside, to make sure that Master Guy’s information had been right. After about 15 minutes they surmised that no one was home, and it was safe to go inside. They entered through his bedroom window, and knew they were looking for four books in total. 

“I’ll look in here,” Sakura said referring to Kakashi’s bedroom, “you check the living room, and we’ll meet in the kitchen.”  
Naruto gave his friend a curt nod of understanding and went about his search.  
Sakura found one book in Kakashi’s nightstand, and another one in a dresser drawer. She felt a little awkward snooping through her old sensei’s drawers, but it was for his own good so she continued. 

Naruto found one on a desk he had in his living room, but was coming up short on the fourth book.   
“Uhhhh,” Sakura groaned, “We’ve looked absolutely everywhere, and the book is nowhere to be found. Are you sure there’s four Naruto?”   
“Yes, I’m sure. I spent three years with Pervy Sage training, he definitely wrote four of those books.” the blonde said with both hands behind his head.   
The young woman sighed, “Well then, he must have the last one on him then.”

“The last what?” Kakashi asked inquisitively tilting his head, while staring at the two of them from his doorway.  
Both Sakura and Naruto’s jaws were on the floor as they turned to see the Copy Nin standing there staring at them. Neither could think of an excuse that would make them rummaging through his apartment make sense, and to make it worse they were both holding his Icha Icha books in their hands.

“I didn’t think you two liked those books very much, so why exactly are you two ransacking my apartment in search of them?” Kakashi raised an arched eyebrow at them.  
“Well you see Master Kakashi we figured that since you liked them so much, we should at least give them a try. So now that we have them, we’ll get going.” Naruto grabbed Sakura by the arm and tried to drag her past Kakashi.  
Their former sensei put a hand on Naruto’s chest and pushed him backwards a little. “The truth you two. Now.” 

The pinkett glued her eyes to the floor, “Well you see, Lady Tsunade told Naruto a little about you and Aiko last night, and we were worried about you maybe messing it up again. We didn’t think Aiko would like it very much if she found out you read these books in front of absolutely everyone, so we thought we’d steal them from you. To you know, help out a little.” Sakura was shifting back and forth on her feet.

“Yeah Master Kakashi, those books of yours are pretty pervy, I mean Pervy Sage wrote them so of course they are. She’s going to catch you reading them in public and you’ll be alone again, forced to die a lonely pervert.” Naruto was gesticulating wildly as he spoke, attempting to get Kakashi to understand the severity of his actions. 

Kakashi sighed and looked down at the floor rubbing both of his temples with one hand. “Listen you two, my relationship with Aiko is none of your business or concern, the two of us will work through our problems or we won’t. Either way the two of you cannot be breaking into my apartment, and stealing my belongings.” Kakashi said irritated and exasperated.  
Both of his former students were staring at the ground now afraid to move or to say anything else. “I’m sorry I got so angry, I understand that you were doing this out of concern, but there’s nothing to be concerned about. Really, I promise, and if it’ll make you two knuckleheads feel better, I promise not to let Aiko see me reading the books. Deal?”   
“Deal” both Sakura and Naruto said at the same time.   
“I’m supposed to be taking a shower and getting changed so I can meet Aiko for a meal. Can you two manage to put everything back where you found it. Including my books?” Kakashi raised his eyebrows at the two of them.  
“Yes.” They both said in unison again.  
“I do have one question for you though Master Kakashi,” Naruto said a small blush spreading across his face. “It’s still pretty early, and your bed didn’t look slept in when we got here. I know Lady Tsunade isn’t sending you out on missions right now…”  
“What are you getting at Naruto?” Kakashi asked even though he knew exactly what Naruto was getting at.   
“Where did you spend the night Master Kakashi?” Naruto had a wide grin on his face now and Sakura was blushing as well.  
Kakashi was flustered, “Mind your own business Naruto.” Kakashi shouted as he stormed into the bathroom.  
As soon as the door was closed Naruto and Sakura broke out in hysterical laughter. When they were able to compose themselves, Naruto and Sakura quickly cleaned up Kakashi’s apartment, left his books on his nightstand and left.


End file.
